January 15, 2025 · 9:00 AM

Israel and Jewish Evangelism Today

Happy New Year! I hope and pray 2025 will be a fruitful year as you and I serve the Lord. 

There is a wonderful story about the relationship between John Wilkinson, a Gentile missionary who founded the Mildmay Mission to the Jews, and J. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission (now OMF International). Every January, Taylor would send Wilkinson a gift with a note attached, “To the Jew first.” Wilkinson would then send the same amount back as a gift to Taylor for his work among the Chinese with a note that read, “And also to the Gentiles.” This true story nicely captures what we will learn in this letter: how we can prioritize reaching Jewish people and still reach the world as commanded by our Messiah prior to His ascension.

There is no doubt that Jewish people need to consciously accept Jesus to obtain salvation and have access to God the Father (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). This saving faith grows out of a Spirit-enlightened understanding of the gospel brought about by embracing Yeshua (Jesus) as the Messiah (John 3:16–17, 16:8).

It is also clear God made promises to the nation of Israel. While these promises do not guarantee the salvation of every Jewish person, they do assure us that the people of Israel will play an important role in the final chapter of the drama of redemption outlined in the Scriptures.

Believing what the Bible tells us about Israel’s guaranteed role in the future should not dampen our enthusiasm to proclaim the gospel among Jewish people today. Our hearts should be inspired to fervently proclaim the gospel to Jewish people, knowing the time is near and that the salvation of the Jewish remnant is linked to the second coming of the Messiah Jesus.

An End-Times Motivation for Jewish Evangelism

Until recent days, a key factor in motivating many Christians to reach Jewish people with the gospel was the belief that the salvation of the Jewish remnant was connected to the coming of the Lord. The wide acceptance of this end-times inspiration for Jewish missions was also broadly understood among churches throughout the world.

Today, Jewish people and Jewish evangelism have somewhat fallen out of favor among Christians as Israel and Jewish people are not as noticeably needy of redemption. Many Western Christians have sided politically with Palestinians, viewing Israel and Jewish people more negatively, and have directed their “mission impulse” toward social justice issues and evangelizing Arabs, particularly Muslims. I applaud proclaiming the gospel among all people groups. However, many Christians passionate about evangelizing Muslims have embraced a one-sided view of Israel that conflicts with the facts of what is happening in the Middle East and with the Bible itself.

This shift in sympathies is now commonplace in the United Kingdom, northern and central Europe, and it is rising in North America, too. Those who do not take the biblical prophecies about the land of Israel in a literal sense are fueling these shifting sympathies, leading to a declining interest in Jewish evangelism.

This is why understanding the end-times rationale for Jewish missions and the role of Jewish people in the plan of God is critical. It is my hope that Gentile Christians will be moved by the Scriptures to bring the good news to God’s chosen people.

“To the Jew First” (Romans 1:16)

There are several critical passages which should undergird an end-times motivation for Jewish missions. One of the most important is Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Those engaged in Jewish evangelism are familiar with this passage and understand its importance in motivating the church toward Jewish evangelism. This brief verse has been interpreted in a number of different ways, but more often than not, it is used to emphasize the importance of Gentile Christians reaching Jewish people with the gospel.

I would suggest that one of the reasons the apostle Paul believed the gospel should go to Jewish people first was because of his understanding of the events of the last days. When Romans 1:16 is viewed in this way, the urgency of Jewish evangelism becomes evident. One cannot fully understand Romans 1:16 without understanding Paul’s conclusion in Romans 11, where he speaks about the end-times repentance of the remnant of Israel and their reception of Jesus as Savior. If we look closely, the priority described in Romans 1:16 is founded on Romans 11:25–27 (and more fully on 11:11–29) and must be viewed in light of the role Jewish people play in the second coming of Christ.

Paul is not suggesting that the Roman believers withhold the gospel from the Gentiles until every Jewish person in the world is reached. Neither is the apostle implying that the gospel has already come to Jewish people first and that this priority no longer applies to the mission of the church today. Romans 1:16 was written in the present tense. Therefore, if the gospel is still “the power of God for salvation” and is still for “everyone who believes,” then the gospel is still “to the Jew first.”

Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, focused his ministry on reaching non-Jewish people with the gospel message. Yet, this did not lessen his concern for the salvation of Jewish people. Wherever Paul went in his ministry among the Gentiles, he also preached the gospel to Jewish people living in that area (Acts 13:13–52, 14:1–5, 18:7–11, 19:8–10). He would make sure this was his first evangelistic effort in a particular city before he spoke to the Gentiles. The salvation of Jewish people was an ever-present concern for Paul, and his actions described in the book of Acts reveal his understanding of what he penned in Romans 1:16.

The apostle’s argument may be summarized (and connected with Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:39) as follows: When Jewish people are successfully evangelized, then Jesus the Messiah will return. There was an end-times urgency in the tone of Paul’s preaching and in his letter to the Roman believers, encouraging them to prioritize outreach to Jewish people. His theology was enacted in his own strategy for mission. And this is why we should follow suit. In effect, Paul argued that if the church desired to witness the second coming of Christ, Jewish people must be evangelized.

The church cannot neglect Jewish evangelism: Jewish evangelism should not become the great omission of the Great Commission, and the church must make Jewish evangelism a priority because of Romans 1:16. 

“All Israel Will Be Saved” (Romans 11) 

Paul connected the priority of reaching Jewish people with the end times, and he argued that God has not cast off His people Israel despite their national rejection of Jesus the Messiah (Romans 11). His concluding statement proving God is not finished with Israel is that “all Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:25–27). Furthermore, he wrote:

Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (Rom 11:12, 15).

God has not rejected Jewish people (Rom 11:1) but rather has preserved a remnant within the nation (Rom 11:5) until the remnant becomes the nation. In this passage, the apostle tells us that in the end, God will save “all Israel,” which I believe refers to the entirety of the nation of Israel alive at that time.

This monumental end-times event takes place after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. It is evident from this passage that prior to the salvation of national Israel and the end of days there is a time when God will be at work among the Gentiles in a special way—grafting numerous “wild branches” into the olive tree as described in Romans 11:16–24.

In summary, Jewish people will return to the God of our fathers by accepting the Messiah. The nations will then witness the return of the Lord Jesus. God has not rejected His people because He is always faithful to His promises (Rom 11:29).

Reaching Jewish people with the gospel must become a priority for all Christians as, ultimately, the salvation of Jewish people ushers in Jesus’ second coming and releases the fullness of God’s blessings to the whole world. 

Outreach to Jewish people begins with you! Through your prayers, giving, and witnessing to your Jewish friends, the plan of God will go forth in power! We cannot allow Jewish evangelism to become the great omission of the Great Commission.

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January 6, 2025 · 9:00 AM

The Enduring Call of Romans 1:16

I am writing this brief letter to you right before I visit Israel this month. This is going to be a very significant trip, and I hope you will pray for me.

I cannot easily describe the level of suffering and anguish the last sixteen months have brought upon Israelis, Palestinians, Chosen People Ministries—Israel staff, and for Jewish people globally because of the wave of antisemitism that has erupted since the beginning of this horrible war.

Life in Israel During Wartime

As I write, quite a few of our staff are still moving in and out of bomb shelters on an almost daily basis. The missile sirens seem to be going off day and night, even though the Israel Defense Forces have destroyed so many of the missile launchers in Gaza and southern Lebanon. There are usually between twenty and one hundred (sometimes even more!) explosives fired every day. A number of civilians, both Arab and Jewish, are killed within Israel because the missile defense systems cannot shoot down every projectile or drone.

Israeli soldiers—most of them in their early twenties—are also dying daily both in Gaza and Lebanon . . . more than 800 so far! May I also remind you that there are still more than one hundred hostages held by Hamas in Gaza? As of November, Israeli intelligence has assessed that half the hostages are still alive. Mothers and fathers, husband and wives, and children continue to be distraught and spend hours shedding tears of grief because of the extreme adversity their loved ones continue to endure in the dark underground tunnels of Gaza.

Pray for My Trip to Israel

I will admit that it is a bit dangerous for me and for the two other godly men joining me on this trip to Israel, yet we really do not spend our time thinking about it. Our beloved staff endure this stress day in and day out, and all I want to do is support them. I do hope that you will pray for fruitfulness and safety for our little team as well as for our staff.

We hope to meet and pray with our staff members individually and with their families. We love them so much, and I am personally inspired by and grateful for their bravery during this difficult time. They not only care for their own family, but they are out and about each day meeting the needs of suffering and displaced Israelis. If you have given a gift already to our work in Israel, I want to assure you that it is being used well, as our staff continue their ministry amid ongoing danger.

I will also be reviewing the progress of our new Tel Aviv Messianic Center. I am so grateful for the huge outpouring of support for this new and much-needed center. We are now able to celebrate the completion of our two-year, $6.5 million campaign, which means we now own this beautiful new center in the heart of the Holy Land—debt-free. Thank you so much!

The construction has continued miraculously and should be completed by mid-February. Even our elevator, needed to ensure everyone can participate in our ministry activities, has come six weeks earlier than thought after being fabricated in Germany. All I can say is hallelujah!

The Enduring Call of Romans 1:16

Throughout the month of January, we emphasize the theme of Romans 1:16, where the apostle Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (emphasis added). This text is foundational to our ministry of 131 years. We are still unashamed; the gospel is still God’s power for salvation, and the message is still for everyone who believes—“to the Jew first” and also to the Gentiles!

We are praying for an outpouring of prayer and financial support during this month as we begin the year with a deep concern for the well-being of Jewish people. I cannot tell you how much your prayers, encouragement, and generous support mean to us.

The psalmist wrote, “pray for the peace of Jerusalem: may they prosper who love you” (Psalm 122:6). It is love which is at the heart of our generosity, and this new center was built with the love of faithful Jesus-followers for Jewish people.

The time of salvation is NOW, and your support and prayers are needed NOW . . . and the need to bring the gospel to Israelis and Jewish people around the globe is NOW.

May I also ask whether your local church has invited a Chosen People Ministries speaker? If not, please talk to your pastor and let them know that we are available. You can call our Church Ministries department at (561)-737-1431 or email us at churches@chosenpeople.com. We would be honored to send someone to speak at your church. Your pastor might especially consider a “Messiah in the Passover” presentation during the Easter season.

My wife Zhava and I pray you will know the power of His resurrection and the joy of His presence in the new year.

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December 16, 2024 · 9:00 AM

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and an early prayer for His blessings to fill your home in 2025! 

I am more convinced than ever that the gospel is our only hope! Jesus rose from the dead, burying our sins at Calvary, and because He conquered death, we will overcome the world through Him. The apostle Paul reminded the believers in Corinth—and us—of this great truth, when he wrote, 

But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 15:54–56)

I am warmly comforted, knowing that because Jesus was fully human, yet without sin, He endured the personal pain we feel when this world disappoints or hurts us deeply. He understands us and is our only hope. 

One of the reasons I love the Christmas season is because of all the focus on the person of Jesus the Messiah. These days are supposed to cause us to reflect on His birth, yet for me, Christmas rekindles my hope that Jesus will return so on and establish His throne, removing the curse of sin forever (Romans 8:22)!

In fact, I cannot think about the first coming of Jesus without yearning for His return!

Our hope is in the One who overcame the world, and because He did, we will as well. As followers of Jesus, we have something this world cannot give—a certain and sure hope for today and tomorrow! He is the God of hope, as Paul described our loving Father, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

Hope is refined by suffering. As believers we are not exempt from the troubles of this life. Jesus Himself teaches this by example. One of the most moving moments in the life of our Savior is when He wept after hearing about the death of His friend Lazarus:

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!” (John 11:33–36, emphasis added)

We are in a season of monumental suffering for so many around the globe. Wars, hurricanes, floods, famine, and other disasters have exacerbated personal difficulties like health challenges, financial woes, and grief. When I pray for you, myself, my children, our country, Israel, and Jewish people, I ask the Lord to strengthen us through this gift of hope!

We see sparkles of hope every time God answers a prayer for healing, for deliverance from some type of bondage. Yet, it is clear that suffering in this life is one step along the pathway to hope as we follow the Savior and we walk in His footsteps. He never lost hope, and neither should we. 

Permit me to tell you a story about one of the early lessons the Lord taught me about hope.

I became friends with a pastor, who later became the president of a Bible institute. After several years, I heard this pastor was very ill with cancer and in a great deal of pain because the cancer had spread to his bones. I went to visit this wonderful man who was living with his daughter. When I saw him lying on his bed, he was obviously in some discomfort.

I very much wanted to pray with my pastor friend, thinking, of course, that I was ministering to him. I could tell he was at peace but in pain, and he asked me to pray with him. When he began praying, the presence of God was palpable in the room, and I felt as if I had come face-to-face with God himself. The prayer did not last long, but I think this experience forever changed my life, as I had never sensed such peace and hope before as a believer.

As we were saying goodbye, I perceived that his entire countenance spoke of the hope in his soul. His parting words to me, as you might expect, were something like, “I am ready to go be with the Lord, and that is all I want. I cannot wait!” I will never forget my dear friend, his faith, or his parting words. I left  the room filled with hope and a holy confidence imparted to me by someone in great pain who was dying yet fully aware the Lord was with him and that he would be with the Lord forever.

I held back my tears because I did not want to upset him. As I was about to walk out the door, his daughter came running after me saying, “Hold on one second. My dad wants to give you something.” She came back with a hand-scrawled $1,000 check for our ministry. My friend relayed to me—through her—his burning belief in the importance of reaching Jewish people for Jesus Christ. As Paul said, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation” (Romans 10:1).

I was stunned and grateful.

I will never forget his face, the sparkle of his eyes, the hope he exuded, and his generosity. I am so grateful that the Lord enabled me to get to know this dear man. Decades later, I still remember this experience. It is one of the ways the Lord infused hope within me during my early years of ministry.

Today, I am confident Jesus overcame death and lives forever and that, one day, I will join my pastor friend and live forever with the Lord. This is the Christmas message. It is not simply that the Lord has come, but that He died, rose, ascended to the Father, and will return so we will live with Him forever. This is our hope. He is our hope!

A Quick Word about Hope in the Midst of War

I am also encouraged by the faith and courage of our workers in Israel, who continue to serve the Lord in wartime. For instance, I recently spoke to one of our dear staff members in Israel about how he was doing during this avalanche of missiles falling throughout Israel. He said to me that it was terrible. He reflected on his coming to Israel to help build the Holy Land and stand with His own Jewish people.

He admitted that he had never experienced such disappointment and concern for the safety of His wife and children. But he reminded me of the unshakable hope he had in the promises of God. He declared that nothing on this earth could keep the Lord from fulfilling His promises to Jewish people. He had no doubts about God’s faithfulness and ability to keep His promises.

I was moved by the clarity and power of his expectations and willingness to struggle each day with the current conflicts in light of the hope of tomorrow. We know that, according to God’s word, all wars will end one day and the Lord will reign. We do not know when, but until that great day, we will proclaim the hope we have with friends, family, and all who need to know the salvation our Savior purchased through His perfect sacrifice.

Our hope for the future is gloriously described by the prophet Isaiah, who paints a picture of the future God has prepared for those who love Him,

And He [the Messiah] will judge between the nations and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war. (Isaiah 2:4, emphasis added) 

During this wonderful season of hope, please remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the release of the hostages.

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November 29, 2024 · 9:00 AM

Bringing Hope to Israel

Shalom during this delightful season of the year, which begins with Thanksgiving and ends with Hanukkah, Christmas, and the New Year. This is a time of great hope as we look forward to all the Lord will do in the days and months ahead. I am hopeful because of the dedicated and effective team at Chosen People Global Ministries, which consists of about 200 of us serving the Lord faithfully among our Jewish people worldwide. It is a privilege to serve with each staff member, and I appreciate your prayers for our ministries among the 15-plus million Jewish people around the world.

Israel in Need of Hope 

But, as you know, there is a very special l and where hope is elusive—our beloved Israel. Hope should abound in the Holy Land, but at this time in the history of the modern state, Israel has endured tragedy upon tragedy, including one of its worst on October 7, 2023. As I write, Israel is defending itself on several fronts—in Gaza, southern Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, and even Syria and Iraq. Another front in this raging war for survival extends beyond the borders of this tiny state as antisemitism is growing rapidly in many different countries, including our own.

Furthermore, there is a growing and unfortunate lack of support for Israel on the part of democracies around the world. Israel is not perfect. Like any country, it makes mistakes, but the scrutiny and accusations hurled at Israel are unfair, as Israelis are fighting for their existence. And if not for October 7, Israel would still be working out the Abraham Accords, a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia, and other diplomatic solutions to the challenges of building a modern Jewish state in a sea of hatred and hostility.

Courage Abounds in Israel

The stories of heroism today, in the face of grave danger, are innumerable. They remind me of the great stories of Hanukkah where the Jewish followers of Judah Maccabee were outnumbered by the Syrian Greeks and their leader, Antiochus Epiphanes. This mad leader attempted to turn Jewish people into Greeks and thereby rid the world of Jewish people. But he failed as God proved faithful once again and promised to sustain His chosen people. The promise in Jeremiah 31:35–36 says it all:

Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the Lord of hosts is His name: “If this fixed order departs from before Me,” declares the Lord, “then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before Me forever.”

And God always keeps His promises. The Lord is using today’s Israelis to fulfill His promises to Jewish people. He always works through people! I think of what our own staff, dozens of dedicated ministers of the gospel, are going through with their families. They have my heart and respect for staying the course and going beyond the call of duty to serve those suffering while they are enduring adversity themselves.

May I tell you about one way we are providing spiritual and emotional healing to Israelis in the Holy Land?

Our Growing Ministry in Tel Aviv

In June 2017, we opened a rented Messianic center in Ramat Gan, a busy suburb of Tel Aviv, one of the largest municipal regions in Israel. Over the first seven years of ministry, HaMercaz (Hebrew for “the center”) became a thriving spiritual home for Israelis of all ages, including many young families and elderly Holocaust survivors.

Our outreach and discipleship programs were so well received that every month hundreds of mostly young Israelis—believers and not-yet-believers—began attending our events. Our concerts, Sabbath dinners, and worship nights were bursting at the seams, as our 1,600-square-foot space accommodates fewer than a hundred people at a time. We have known for a while we have outgrown our rented space, and we have prayed about how to expand.

The New Tel Aviv Messianic Center

In 2022, after years of praying and searching for a desperately needed larger facility to keep pace with this growing demand, the Lord graciously provided a 4,000-square-foot space for a new center. It is near Tel Aviv’s downtown area with convenient access to its light rail system. We will be surrounded by Israelis who have never heard the gospel message!

The buildout of the new Tel Aviv Messianic Center, which will be completed in early spring 2025, slowed down because of the war. The center will more than double our capacity for outreach and events. It will play a vital role in providing our ministry staff with an excellent place to continue to serve the needs of Israelis now dealing with trauma, job loss, war injuries, personal loss, and grief. The new center is a step toward the future of God’s work in Israel and will also allow us to plant a much-needed congregation. 

Ministry Post-October 7, 2023

I love Proverbs 16:9: “The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” We had plans to develop this wonderful property, but He had His own plans. The attacks of October 7, 2023, took Israelis—including the Israel Defense Forces and one of the best intelligence service in the world—by complete surprise.

At first our staff, like most Israelis, were stunned by the magnitude and viciousness of the attacks, but soon the Lord began turning the tragedy into an opportunity to bring His love to hurting Israelis.

Serving Israelis in Need

Almost immediately our staff efforts shifted to war relief among those Israelis we were already serving, and many others we met for the first time. During the first three months of the war, our Messianic centers in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv served the needs of Jewish people of all ages, providing housing, relief aid, food, and supplies that our staff delivered to those in need.

Our staff and volunteers continue to serve the practical needs of Israelis, as these everyday needs are still great. Yet, the spiritual and emotional need is far greater. By God’s grace and the prayers and generous support of our fellow believers, we have been able to continue and even increase our number of Bible studies, prayer meetings, and worship events, along with retreats for children, families, and elderly Holocaust survivors.

The overwhelming challenges of ministry in the midst of tragedy and war reminds us so powerfully that the Prince of Peace is still our only hope for peace and His peace only comes through our accepting Yeshua as Messiah and Lord.

Proclaiming the Gospel in Israel

This is why we cannot separate our support and prayers for the State of Israel from our efforts to bring His peace to Jewish people in Israel and around the world. If we love Israel and do not proclaim the gospel, then there will be no lasting peace in the hearts and lives of Jewish people we love. 

Bringing the good news of Jesus to our Jewish friends and neighbors in Israel and around the globe is vital. We live in a day when hope so easily slips through our fingers, yet we can be a great blessing to our friends and family by telling them about the magnificent hope we have through Jesus the Messiah.

We cannot live without hope. And hope is superficial when it is not rooted in our personal relationship with the One who conquered death through His resurrection from the dead. We bear the message of true hope and joy, forgiveness of sin, and the promise of eternal life. We cannot remain silent. The hour is late, and the gospel is desperately needed in the Land of Israel.

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November 15, 2024 · 9:00 AM

A New Approach to Reach Traveling Israelis

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you will enjoy some delicious food and fun times with your family and friends this month. There is nothing like a bountiful Thanksgiving meal to remind us how God uses food and hospitality to unite families and friends. 

Thanksgiving is not the only holiday with special foods intended to help us remember the past. Every Jewish holiday has its unique cuisine. For example, we eat a dish at Passover called tzimmes, usually made with carrots and dried fruits. The secret ingredients to excellent traditional tzimmes are honey and cinnamon. Why? Because redemption from slavery is always sweet! Our Jewish culinary customs encourage us to find joy despite life’s difficulties because God is a mighty deliverer. We are alive today to eat the sweet mixture on Passover only because of His covenantal faithfulness! 

Inviting others to our homes and tables is rewarding and can also be a powerful ministry strategy, especially among our Jewish friends and neighbors. Food is central to Jewish life. There is a well-known saying within the Jewish community when summarizing the history of the Jewish people: “They tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat!” 

Food is a stunning reminder of God’s love and care for us! Jesus said it Himself in the Sermon on the Mount: “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

Throughout the years, I have found that one of the most fruitful ways to show God’s love and proclaim the gospel with others is through the ministry of hospitality, which—you guessed it—involves lots of food! 

This month, I am delighted to explain how you can become part of God’s great plan to redeem Israel by showing hospitality. But first, let me describe how this innovative ministry began and recount a few good stories of how God works through believers when we bring His love to life around the table.

REACHING ISRAELIS THROUGH HOSPITALITY

One of the pioneers of our hospitality ministries to traveling Israelis is a Jewish believer who grew up in the Washington, D.C., area and eventually led one of our Chosen People Ministries Messianic congregations in Maryland. Scott describes why and how he left a thriving congregation to move early 9,000 miles to serve Israeli backpackers in New Zealand:

My wife and I motorcycled throughout New Zealand’s wild South Island to celebrate our thirtieth anniversary. We discovered scores of young travelers—Israeli and otherwise—everywhere we went who seemed primed and ready for spiritual conversation.

We moved to the South Island the very next year to test the idea of a hospitality ministry. We soon discovered evangelistic opportunities were even better than we initially thought! I remember one night, it took me four hours to finish a forty-five-minute cleaning chore at the campground where we had planted ourselves. No, I was not slacking off, and my sponge was not broken. Young Israelis at the camp kept stopping me, wanting to talk about God, Jesus, and the Bible! 

The ministry in New Zealand grew, and with some help from the United States, our New Zealand team bought a beautiful fifty-plus-bed youth hostel in Wanaka, one of the most beautiful places you have ever seen. We call it the Zula Lodge because, in Hebrew, the name implies a place of rest and relaxation. Young Israelis come to this charming town by the thousands each year after getting out of the army. 

Our hospitality ministry in New Zealand, which is a natural wonderland for young Israelis, is still going strong! Michael and Teresa, our current directors there, had this to say:

Zohar, a native-born Israeli on our team, frequently checks the New Zealand “Israeli Travelers WhatsApp group” to see if Israelis need a place to stay in the visually spectacular town of Dunedin. He asked us if we could host two women for just a day. “We would be delighted!” Teresa responded. The next day, Maya* and Shoshanah* arrived! They met at the Zula Lodge and decided to travel for a few weeks together.

One night turned into three, and on the third night, we all had dinner together. Luckily, Teresa is used to cooking plant-based meals, as both were vegan! The usual question came up: “Why do you host Israelis?” We talked for two hours, during which I had the opportunity to share our testimonies and our love for the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua!

THE HOSPITALITY MINISTRY EXPANDS

One of our newest guest houses, Beit Samurai (“House of the Servant”), is in Tokyo, Japan. The couple who leads this ministry has already hosted hundreds of Israelis!

Ori* and Abigail* stayed with us for a few days in December. As they walked up to our house from the train station, Abigail told Ori, “I am really craving challah1 right now after being away from home for so long.”

One of our staff offered the some challah she had baked the night before. Abigail could not believe her eyes. She marveled at how crazy and unexpected it was because she never imagined eating challah in Japan! The offer of physical bread opened the door for her to receive spiritual bread as our staff embodied the love of Jesus. Stories like these illustrate why our hospitality ministry to Israelis has blossomed among mission-minded believers worldwide. We now have hostels in New Zealand, India, Japan, and Australia. We also have hosts ready to welcome Israelis in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, and now, the United States. 

We cannot have hostels or rent apartments everywhere. However, God is drawing people from every nation whom He is eager to use to provoke Israel to jealousy—and here is where you come in!

INTRODUCING OUR “HOST ISRAELIS” PROGRAM!

This month, I am delighted to announce the official launch of “Host Israelis,” a program in which God can use you in young Israelis’ lives by inviting them to your table! 

There is no need to speak Hebrew or know much about Israel—though it might help. Most important is having a heart for blessing Jewish people everywhere with hospitality, friendship, love, and the good news of the Messiah. 

Your Mission to the Jewish People provides training and resources on Israeli culture and how to recognize opportunities for spiritual conversations. When you connect with “Host Israelis,” you join a global network of like-minded believers overseen by seasoned Chosen People Ministries missionaries. 

A few American hosts have already welcomed Israelis to their table! I was amazed to hear what God did while we were still beta testing the program. If the following story can happen with just a few host families, imagine what can happen when we have a nationwide network of Christian hosts passionate about the salvation of Israel!

One Israeli family traveling across the United States stayed with eleven hosts on our network. Our host families are all reporting they had an amazing time. This Israeli family is very open to the gospel. They are reading the New Testament and listening to Christian worship music! They like Jesus. The husband believes He is the Messiah. The wife is also very warm and open to Jesus, but she has questions.

HOSPITALITY AND JESUS

Showing love through hospitality can be a powerful way to draw Jewish people to the Messiah! We see it through stories like the one above and in the Scriptures. The Gospels often depict Jesus dining with people. He broke bread not only with His disciples but also with outcasts and members of society not accustomed to sitting with rabbis. He was known for “eating with the tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 9:11; cf. Mark 2:16; Luke 5:30). In many cases, a communal meal provided the context for revealing Himself as the Messiah.

HOW IT WORKS

It is simple! Go to chosenpeople.com/host and click the link to fill out the online application. We request two references from people who know you well and will set up an interview to get to know you better and answer any questions. Once you are approved, you will have access to our many training videos to help you understand how to navigate the app, create your listing, engage Israeli culture, and talk about Jesus with your guests. As soon as your listing is made active, Israelis can contact you through WhatsApp and view your profile.

WILL YOU JOIN US?

We hope you will partner with us in this exciting work of reaching Israelis traveling worldwide—including in your backyard! At the same time, we understand not everyone can host guests overnight. You can still play a key role by being a day host or supporting this ministry in prayer and financial support. 

If you are seeking a spiritual adventure, you can even come to help us at some of our international hostels on a short-term mission trip.

Whether you invite Israelis to your table, support this outreach, or pray for us, we know the Lord will use you with your Chosen People Ministries partners to reach Jewish people around the globe.

Thank you, and Happy Thanksgiving!

* Names changed

  1. Challah is a braided bread traditionally eaten on the Sabbath. ↩︎

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November 1, 2024 · 9:00 AM

November 2024 President’s Letter: New TAMC

Forgive me for taking a moment to talk about myself and my ministry as president of Chosen People Ministries. I know you pray for me and for all our staff, especially our faithful workers in Israel, where God is still at work. So, thanks for taking the time to read and pray.

My Full November Calendar

This is an especially busy month. We have leadership and board meetings in Chicago and then a major conference all day on Saturday, November 9, entitled, “Summit on Opposing Antisemitism,” to be held at Moody Bible Institute, our partner for this important event. The speakers include Mark Jobe, President of Moody Bible Institute; Michael Rydelnik, Vice President and Academic Dean at Moody; and Don Sweeting, Chancellor of Colorado Christian University. We will also hear from Saleem Shalash, a wonderful Arab pastor from Nazareth and several Israeli Moody students who served in the Israel Defense Forces during the current war. You can register at http://www.chosenpeople.com/moodysummit/.

Immediately after the event, I fly to Korea where I will participate in a Bible conference with our Chosen People Ministries team in Korea. I will be exploring locations, homes, and youth hostels where traveling Israelis find housing and enjoy Korean Christian hospitality. Many Israelis are interested in Asia and sometimes prefer going East instead of West. There are so many wonderful Christians in Korea who love the Lord and love Jewish people, and I hope to meet those who want to be part of our hosting network.

Hosting Israelis is the topic of our November newsletter as well. Please pray and consider hosting traveling Israelis. This is a great way to meet them and present the gospel right in your own home. All you need to do is love them and open up a room in your house for two or three days. I know you will find this to be a great way to build lasting friendships with Israelis and have a loving testimony of God’s grace in Jesus the Messiah through your family. We have seen tremendous fruit through this ministry. All you need to do is be your Jesus-loving self and allow the Lord to work through you.

After I return from Korea, I travel to San Diego to be part of the Evangelical Theological Society’s annual meeting where I will present a paper on the growth of the modern Messianic movement—and it is growing, praise God, both in the United States and in Israel! I will then have the joy of speaking at our local Messianic congregation in Orange County and will finally return home to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family.

Sound busy? It is! But I know you are busy, too. As believers, we are not just busy for busyness’ sake, but we are called to be fruitful in making the gospel known. What matters in this life more than serving the Lord?

My life verse is the apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” These are most comforting and encouraging words. They remind me, whatever we do for the Lord—whether it seems big or little—is an expression of our heartfelt devotion and love for Jesus.

Life in Israel 

I will try to get to Israel during December to see how our staff is faring and also to encourage those in charge of our Messianic center building project. We now expect our new Tel Aviv Messianic Center to be completed by the end of January. I am including some pictures of the building on the way to completion. 

May I tell you a little bit about the new facility? First, we are installing an elevator, even though there are only two floors, because we have many elderly Holocaust survivors and others who come to our events who cannot easily navigate stairs. We love these precious Israelis and want them to be able to attend our events and services. 

We will also have an advanced sound system as there are one hundred apartments above us filled with Israeli families. Talk about the Lord bringing the mission field to your doorstep! We are busy soundproofing so the instruments and our joyful singing will not annoy those we hope to reach! We will hold concerts once or twice a month, which are an incredible draw for younger people.

After I signed the contract with the builders some months ago to buy this 4,000-square-foot, two-story facility, I went back to our rented center, a facility we have been using for the last seven years. It was filled with more than a hundred young people enjoying a Messianic gospel concert in Hebrew. Our current space can only comfortably handle seventy or eighty people, so we recently needed to turn people away and invite fewer people as the Lord’s work continues to grow. By January this will change!

Our new space will enable us to seat 140 comfortably for a concert and more than 100 for a meal. So, our ever-increasing activities at the new Tel Aviv Messianic Center will be able to go forward in this wonderful new space.

We are also excited about our new children’s classrooms, which are so needed as we draw many kids. These classrooms will also be used for our various adult Bible studies. The completed new facility will allow us to finally fulfill my long-term dream of establishing a Messianic congregation. Adults can worship upstairs while we teach and care for fifty or sixty of their children downstairs.

You can see our new center is mission driven. We will be serving adults, youth, elderly Holocaust survivors, and children. Please pray as we finish the building.

With all transparency, the overall cost of the center is $6.5 million. The good news is we already have raised over $6 million toward the purchase, renovation, furniture, and equipment. We are left with about $500,000 needed to complete this beautiful center. 

I cannot wait to repeat the words of Nehemiah when he said, “So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days” (Neh 6:15). What a moment for the hero of this great story as his embattled team finished the task.

I believe we will complete the work sometime in December or January. Can you believe we are so close? The Lord has shown His grace amid what might be the most difficult period in the life of modern Israel since its founding in 1948.

A Bright Future for Tel Aviv

I cannot tell you how excited I am about this possibility. I know it will transform lives in the greater Tel Aviv area. We also know many ministries in Israel will use this facility, and we hope to let them use it for free. This is God’s gift for the whole body of Messiah in Israel, and you are our partners whom we love and appreciate. Thank you for all you do you to help Israel is, especially in this difficult season, hear the gospel.

On behalf of the Chosen People Ministries staff and board, I want to thank you for your help inreaching the more than 4.7 million Jewish people living in the greater Tel Aviv area. We can do this together and enter the new year with a paid-for building and the opportunity to open this building as a center for the proclamation of the gospel in the greater Tel Aviv area.

Now you know how to pray for me this month and also for the future of Your Mission to the Jewish People in the city with the largest concentration of Jewish people in the world. Happy Thanksgiving! I love this holiday because it is an opportunity to fan the flames of gratitude for the Lord and all He has done for our family and ministry. I pray your Thanksgiving will be rich with the presence of the Lord and you and your family will experience His love and joy.

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October 15, 2024 · 9:00 AM

Never Again, Never Alone

NEVER AGAIN

We thought the world had learned its lesson. We thought humanity had grasped the gravity of antisemitism. We thought we had friends who stood with us. We held onto the hope we would never again witness this amount of senseless brutality. But on October 7, 2023, Hamas’ savage attack on innocent Jewish people shattered those illusions. The subsequent upswell of antisemitic rhetoric has been hard to believe and even more hurtful to experience.

“Never Again”—the Jewish community’s determined vow against another genocide after the horrors of the Holocaust—now feels like a hollow echo. It is natural to feel helpless in the face of enormous evil and shattered dreams. It is normal to wonder how something like this could happen again, despite all the Jewish community’s efforts to build a safe haven for ourselves. But in a world with shattered hopes, we now wonder if there is any lasting hope left to grasp.

NEVER ALONE

However, even as our hopes seem shattered, there is an unbroken promise—a promise enduring the test of time—which has seen Jewish people through the darkest moments of history and can carry us through despite the growing intensity of attacks on Israel and global antisemitism.

This promise is not given by man but by the God of Israel. In the Torah, He made an eternal covenant with our ancestors, a covenant binding Him to us and to the land of Israel forever (Genesis 15). This covenant is not based on the worthiness of Jewish people but founded on God’s love and faithfulness for His chosen people.

As Moses, our lawgiver, wrote,

The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:7-8)

According to Moses, God promised to be our God and called upon us to be His people. He vowed to dwell among us, guide us, protect us, and defend us, and despite our failures and shortcomings, He has remained faithful to His promises.

Throughout history, God has proven Himself to be a shield of protection around Jewish people. Whether our persecutors were Haman, Hitler, or Hamas, He has intervened on our behalf countless times—often in miraculous ways—to deliver us from harm and danger. Even when Jewish people felt abandoned or forgotten, He was always present, working behind the scenes to bring about redemption and restoration.

He is still deeply engaged today, even amid the interminable suffering Jewish people have endured over the last year, especially Israelis who lost loved ones on October 7 and during its aftermath.

UNEXPECTED FRIENDS

We are not alone in another sense as well. There are countless followers of Yeshua (Jesus), the Messiah, who believe the land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel, and they also believe Jewish people still play a significant role in God’s plan for the ages. In a world where Jewish people seem to be losing friends and are feeling increasingly isolated, we might remember how Christians also used to be viewed as enemies and persecutors. However, times have changed, and today’s sincere, Bible-believing Christians are now some of our greatest supporters.

As one Anglican Christian said recently, “If antisemites want to harm the Jewish people, then they have to get through us first!” How powerful! What an expression of love and support. This amazing show of support and backing by Christians may open us up as Jewish people to take a new look at the claims of Yeshua to be the Jewish Messiah.

Yet, the support we as Jewish people receive today from the Christian community can sometimes be confusing because of an uncomfortable history of “Christian” persecution. The Crusades, pogroms, and even the Holocaust are often believed to be the cumulative result of a long history of Christian antisemitism.

This is why it is so critical for Christians and Jewish people to understand there are many beliefs tying us together. One of them is a mutual understanding of how God made a covenant with Jewish people, which He will never repeal. Consider this biblical promise:

Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the Lord of hosts is His name: “If this fixed order departs from before Me,” declares the Lord, “then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before Me forever.” (Jeremiah 31:35–36)

The continued existence of the sun, moon, and stars—and even the waves hitting the Tel Aviv seashore—is evidence of God’s continued preservation of the people of Israel. Many followers of Jesus recognize this fact, passionately insisting anyone who is opposed to the Jewish state and people is opposed to God Himself.

A DEEPER REASON

However, there is an even deeper significance behind the advocacy of Christians on behalf of Israel. Christians often view the modern State of Israel as the fulfillment of biblical prophecy and believe God will fulfill His remaining promises of bringing a lasting peace to Israel when Yeshua returns.

The Christian commitment to Israel and Jewish people stems from a profound understanding of Yeshua’s identity as the Jewish Messiah. Yeshua identified as a Jewish person; He was one of us. He said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). He came to Jewish people first, and only later did His message have an impact on Gentiles all over the world.

Followers of Yeshua see Him as the fulfillment of biblical prophecies, as central to the redemption narrative throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, and the embodiment of God’s love for His people. Yeshua also came to bring unity between Jewish people and Gentiles and to reconcile humanity to God. As Messianic Jews, we believe Yeshua came to offer forgiveness of sin to all who put their trust in Him: to our Jewish people and to Gentiles alike. The Jewish prophet Isaiah foretold the Messiah’s atoning death for our sins:

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. (Isaiah 53:3b–6)

By forgiving our sins, Yeshua provides us with a true and lasting hope nobody can ever take away or destroy. He said,

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:28–30)

Yeshua gives us a peace transcending the troubles and horrific terrorist acts of this world. When all else fails, including our calls for “Never Again,” our Messiah remains faithful and true. We are never alone when we trust in Him. We know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be faithful to keep His promises to His chosen people—forever!

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October 1, 2024 · 9:00 AM

Memorializing October 7, 2023

It has been one year since the most horrific attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust. What is even more tragic is this gruesome attack took place in Israel, which was founded to be a safe and peaceful homeland for Jewish people—especially for survivors of the Holocaust, which ended a mere three years before the country was established on May 14, 1948.

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER OCTOBER 7?

Let us review what transpired one year ago on October 7, 2023.

Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip entered Israel, unprovoked, to murder, rape, torture, kidnap, and terrorize innocent Israelis. This attack was far more than an act of war, as evidenced by Hamas’ brutality toward innocent Jewish civilians, including young and old, babies, Holocaust survivors, and other noncombatants. These were crimes against Jewish people and against humanity.

On this tragic Sabbath, Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped 250 innocent victims, and began what has become a seemingly endless war in Gaza. As with any war, far too many blameless people on both sides have been killed and are suffering displacement from their homes, even one year later. This conflict has led to the terrible loss of life and injury to thousands of Gazans because Hamas victimizes its own citizens, using men, women, and children as human shields.

The hostages kidnapped on this fateful day were treated with inhumane cruelty. We have since learned many of the more than one hundred hostages remaining in Gaza have already died. Some are lost and cannot be found. This is heartbreaking, especially for their families.

THE FALLOUT FROM OCTOBER 7

The attacks on Israel intensified on April 14, 2024, when Iran launched a direct attack on Israel by sending drones, rockets, and missiles to strike civilian and military targets within Israel. This attack was torturous for all Israelis who endured the long wait for the missiles to strike and the bombs to drop. Most Israelis could not have known Israel and her allies would destroy 99 percent of the rocket and missile barrage. Still, Iran’s direct attacks raised the stakes and added to the threat of a regional conflict.

The war intensified when Hezbollah, perched on Israel’s northern border, started shelling those within the reach of its rockets and missiles, which are more powerful than those of Hamas in Gaza. We also see another mounting war, even more ominous than the one in Israel and Gaza, plaguing Jewish people today. There is a growing, global wave of online antisemitism along with increased attacks upon Jewish people throughout the world. The numbers speak for themselves as antisemitic incidents against Jewish people living outside of Israel have tripled over the last twelve months.1

The actions of Hamas were antisemitic in nature. There is a long history of Islamic antisemitism beginning with the Koran and other early Islamic writings, and we believe this tragic history of Islamic antisemitism influenced Hamas terrorists to commit those horrible atrocities against innocent Jewish people last October.

Let’s face it—angry adherents to the jihadist principles promoted by Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups simply hate Jewish people!

MESSIAH, OUR ULTIMATE HOPE FOR PEACE

Even though the conflict and impact of October 7 is ongoing a year later, it would still be beneficial to pause for a moment of reflection. Let’s consider what happened on this tragic Saturday and consider how we should continue to respond to the growing problem of global antisemitism.

I hope thinking this through together will help us today and tomorrow as we draw closer to the glorious day when the Messiah Jesus will return and reign as the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and Prince of Peace. As the prophet Isaiah wrote,

And He will judge between the nations and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war. (Isa 2:4)

We know the Bible teaches the end of days, as described by Jesus himself, includes wars and rumors of wars that will escalate and intensify, like birth pangs, until He returns (Matthew 24; Luke 21; Mark 13). So, the hostilities in the Middle East horrify us, but we also turn our eyes to a greater day promised by God of an enduring peace. One day our Redeemer will return to save His people and establish His kingdom of peace and righteousness. We believe this promise, and, by His grace and in the power of His Spirit, we should live today in light of tomorrow (Acts 1:9–11).

FOUR LESSONS TO LEARN FROM THE PAST YEAR

1. Our commitment to Israel and Jewish people must be founded upon Scripture.

Our commitment to the Jewish people and the State of Israel should not fluctuate with the news cycle, or the reporting of our favorite channel, or trusted websites. The news about Israel and the war is constantly changing. The actions of the Israeli government are hard to track and evaluate, as is true for our own country. It can be exhausting keeping up!

As believers, we know there is only one unchanging source of information we can turn to for comfort, inspiration, and a deeper, unbiased understanding of the swirling events we read about each day: the Word of God! Our position on Israel and the role of Jewish people in the plan of God should be biblical. As I told a friend as we were speaking about this issue—with tongue firmly planted in my cheek—“There is actually quite a bit written about Israel and the Jewish people in the Bible!”

The Bible is God’s final word on Israel and Jewish people. Though we might have slightly differing points of view of God’s purposes for Israel, the Scriptures are still the best source for information to better inform us of God’s plan, which is the lens through which we should view the conflicts in the Middle East. The Word of God should certainly guide our prayer life. We can all agree with the psalmist who firmly says to regularly “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Ps 122:6).

I am encouraged by some very significant trends about the Israel-Hamas war through a survey we did last March. It appears many American Christians believe we should support Israel because she has a right to defend herself and because Israel is the best ally the United States has in the Middle East. These are good reasons to support Israel, and many of us believe this, but the foundation for our ongoing support needs to have a biblical rationale, or it can easily be undone. Christians need to think biblically in all areas and believe God’s word is the final authority on all matters, including how we understand the role of Israel and Jewish people in God’s plan (Genesis 12:1–3, 15:18; Acts 1:6–8).

2. The attacks of October 7 were driven by a festering hatred of Jewish people by classical Islam, intensified by a radical jihadist Islam.

Historic forms of antisemitism are now re-packaged with political and human rights verbiage, viciously used for hundreds of years against Jewish people before the modern State of Israel was established. We see this on the right, the left, and in Islamist extremism. All too often the newer and more politically-oriented arguments against the modern State of Israel obfuscate the underlying antisemitic arguments, tropes, and conspiracy theories.

For hundreds of years the rights of Jewish people were severely limited in many countries. My people were forced to live in ghettos in western Europe and the Pale of Settlement in eastern Europe where Jewish influence could be more easily controlled. This strategy of geographic exclusion and Jewish containment enabled governments to keep Jewish people away from the mainstream culture. In North Africa, Spain, and a variety of Arab countries, Jewish people were heavily taxed by Muslims who controlled the political systems. Sometimes, Jewish and Muslim communities lived together peacefully, but there was always a reason why Muslims felt superior to their Jewish neighbors. As Islam grew and spread throughout the Middle East, traditions developed in the Muslim world identifying Jerusalem as a Muslim and not a Jewish possession.

Various Muslim and Middle Eastern mischaracterizations of Jewish people are well known and have fueled a depth of hatred against Jewish people going well beyond the seventy-five-plus years of modern Israel’s existence. There is no denying October 7, 2023, elevated this historic Islamic antisemitism, harkening back to the seventh century, to a new genocidal level. Hamas terrorists dehumanized Israelis through torture, rape, and other horrific acts of violence.

Embedded anti-Jewish sentiments in the Muslim world in general were exacerbated by the Iranian revolution, social media, and the founding of the modern State of Israel in 1948. Adherents to Hamas’ violent ideology are not only hostile to Jewish people but also to the Bible, Western civilization, and God Himself.

We need to pray for even the most violent of jihadists and not return hate for hate. Let’s encourage missions among them as the best way to bring about peace in the Middle East and to protect the values we cherish is to bring the gospel to those who oppose us. When people come to Jesus, their lives and worldviews are transformed. We do need to love our enemies, whoever they might be!

3. The devil is behind this world’s hostility toward Jewish people.

However, we must come to grips with the spiritual battle we face today in the Middle East. As Bible-believers, we recognize Satan’s hand in shaping modern antisemitism. The Scriptures teach us the source of antisemitism is the devil himself. Antisemitism, called “the oldest hatred,” has plagued the children of Abraham since his call from Ur of the Chaldees (Gen 12:1–3).

When God called Abraham to father the chosen people, Satan made Jewish people the target of his fury. The evil one has tried to eradicate the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in every age and in endless ways to prevent God from using Israel as His instrument of redemption and blessing through the Jewish Messiah. We cannot view antisemitism as merely some type of nationalistic, political, or ethnic hatred but, rather, as a cosmological effort on the part of the devil to destroy Jewish people and disrupt the plan of God.

True Christians need to take up spiritual arms to fight this spiritual battle, as Paul writes, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against

the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

By God’s grace, believers worldwide must exhibit love toward Jewish people and oppose antisemitism because we believe in the Bible, the Jewish Messiah, and the covenants God forged with the sons and daughters of Israel. This is critical today because, more than ever, the Jewish community needs real friends amid this rising sea of antisemitism.

What a wonderful testimony it would be to Jewish people if Christians stood against the enemies of Jewish people, testifying through our actions how those who follow the Jewish Messiah love Jewish people.

4. Believers in Jesus should act on behalf of Jewish people and oppose antisemitism.

There is a very popular statement attributed to the brilliant Jewish scientist, Albert Einstein, who was very concerned about antisemitism as he lived through the horrors of the Nazi period and was one of the scientists saved by the Allies: “If I were to remain silent, I’d be guilty of complicity.”2

This reminds me of the words of Isaiah, who wrote: “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning” (Isa 62:1). We cannot remain silent when Jewish people are under siege! God still has His holy hand upon His chosen people; they are still the apple of His eye. We are speaking of the Savior’s earthly family, and if we love Him then we must love His people!

God will never allow His chosen people to be destroyed (Amos 9:8). If you choose to be an enemy of Jewish people and seek the destruction of God’s people, then you stand in opposition to God’s purposes in this world. He promised to bless those who bless Jewish people because through Jewish people He brings blessings to the world (Gen 12:1–3).

As followers of the Messiah Jesus, whether Jewish or Gentile, we recognize our humanity demands and even compels us to raise our voices and not remain silent about antisemitism. All racial hatred is antithetical to the biblical message and human decency, as the Almighty, blessed be He, created each of us in His image.

When the Jewish people are under siege, we must be diligent in standing for and with Jewish people. We must also remember the suffering of innocent Gazan families, whom Hamas leaders deliberately put in harm’s way, as Jesus died for us all!

So, let us take to heart the messages of this hour and commit to saying something and doing something, especially on behalf of Jewish people in Israel and around the globe.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

It is time to act! Here are some practical steps you and your church can take to stand with God’s chosen people today.

Pray 

As believers in Jesus the Jewish Messiah, we can pray for Jewish people. This is so important, and I hope you will consider holding a special time of prayer or even offering just a simple prayer on behalf of Jewish people at your services October 5–6 in commemoration of the first anniversary of the attacks on Israel of October 7!

Chosen People Ministries can provide your church with a short video or two, bulletin inserts, and other resources to effectively and sensitively bring attention to the Middle East crisis at your services October 5–6.

Reach out

Please consider reaching out to your local Jewish community to let them know you stand with Jewish people. If there are commemorative events on October 7 sponsored by your local Jewish community, try to attend and let your Jewish friends know you care.

Give

Please pray about making a special gift to Your Mission to the Jewish People to be used in proclaiming the good news today. We are doing so much to help our Jewish family and friends know Jesus is the Messiah and the One who brings ultimate safety and peace to Israel, to Jewish people around the world, and to our individual hearts.

Participate

Consider attending the Moody Summit against Antisemitism, sponsored by Moody Bible Institute and Chosen People Ministries, scheduled for November 9 in Chicago.

As the Savior said, “Peace [shalom] I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27). Jesus also said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).

Please join us in bringing the message of the Prince of Peace to a war-torn and fractured world in desperate need of the hope and redemption only available through Jesus the Messiah—“to the Jew first” and also to the Gentiles (Romans 1:16).

Thanks for caring and for your generosity.

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September 19, 2024 · 2:49 PM

Blow a Trumpet in Zion

Jewish people are getting ready to celebrate the Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashanah, at the very beginning of next month. I hope you take the time to wish a Jewish friend, Chag Sameach (Happy Holiday)! 

During Rosh Hashanah, we have a wonderful Jewish tradition of serving apples and honey to family and friends, representing our wishes for them to enjoy a happy and sweet year! So, do not be shy. Bring over a nice plate of apples and honey to a Jewish friend or a Rosh Hashanah card as an act of kindness to build your friendships with the Jewish people in your life. 

A HIGH HOLIDAY GIFT FOR CHRISTIAN CHILDREN

I also have some great news for you: We have completed our latest Jewish holiday animated video—this one is about the Jewish New Year and is ideal for Sunday school-age kids. 

We would love to see this resource help Christian children understand their Jewish neighbors and begin to develop a love for Jewish people at a young age. This animated video is delightful and has a very powerful gospel presentation geared for children. You can show it to a Sunday school class, at a Christian school or homeschool group, in your own home, at a Good News Club, or at a Vacation Bible School. All you need is a phone, tablet, or television. 

So, dear friend, mom, dad, or grandparent, please use the video. Who knows, maybe you will have the opportunity to show the animation to a Jewish child or two as well! 

THE JEWISH HOLIDAYS POINT TO JESUS

I love the Jewish holidays because God designed each one to promote some of the most significant themes of Scripture, which describe His person, plan, and promises. Let me start by giving you a few essential facts about Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. 

MORE ABOUT THE JEWISH NEW YEAR

I must first tell you the words “New Year” or Rosh Hashanah (“the head of the year”) are not used in the Bible. Jewish tradition, however, connects it to Leviticus chapter 23:23, which mentions a day of rest and a day of trumpet (or shofar) blasts. This holiday also falls in the seventh month of the year. 

The Hebrew calendar is quite different from the Gregorian calendar most widely used today, and the Hebrew month Tishrei, the seventh month, usually aligns with our September or October, which is why the holiday is observed in the fall. 

Why do Jewish people observe the New Year in the seventh month? It is a good question, which most Jewish people cannot answer. But if you saw the movie Fiddler on the Roof, you probably remember the song, “Tradition!” Jewish tradition tells us the New Year should be linked to the holiday described in the biblical text as the month of the blowing of the shofar, or ram’s horn. 

Tradition is not bad, but you must be able to separate tradition from Scripture. The Hebrew word rosh means “head,” and shanah means “year.” So, the festival named in the Bible as the “Blowing of the Shofar” is now viewed as the “Head of the Year,” or Rosh Hashanah, and the holiday when we blow the shofar. 

May I take us one step deeper into the Jewish background and meaning of Hebrew terms? The Hebrew Bible does not include the word “blowing” (Lev 23:24). The Hebrew word used, teruah, is one of the sounds the shofar makes when blown! I find it best to translate the term as “toot toot.” Of course, I smile when I write this. But it is true; the literal name of the festival is a sound. But it is a very important sound. 

We must dive even deeper, though, into the overall background of the Jewish festivals to better understand this first holiday of the seventh month! 

THE FESTIVALS’ ROAD TO REDEMPTION

We find the seven great festivals of Jewish people meticulously detailed in Leviticus 23. All the festivals point to the past, the present, and the future in one way or another as each festival is prophetic. To help you understand Rosh Hashanah—the first fall festival—let us examine the Sabbath and the spring festivals. 

The Sabbath (Leviticus 23:3):

Leviticus 23 begins by introducing us to the archetypal festival, the weekly Sabbath. 

The Sabbath, which is in many ways the foundation for the seven annual festivals, looks back to God’s rest from His labor after creating the heavens and the earth in six days. Moses then commanded Jewish people to cease from work every seventh day from Sinai onward. However, many Jewish people fully understand how the past and present Sabbath also points to a greater Sabbath to come, when the ultimate Davidic King will sit on the throne of David, and there will be peace throughout the earth (Isaiah 9:7). We believe this Davidic King is none other than Jesus, the Jewish Messiah for all. 

Passover and Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:5–8):

The first holiday of the Jewish year points to the redeeming Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in a greater way than the lamb slain by the Israelites in Egypt and whose blood they splashed upon their doorposts. 

We know Jesus, the Messiah, fulfills this prophetic picture. The Festival of Unleavened Bread is a picture of how He lived a life without sin, as leaven is a symbol of sin. But this prophetic roadmap to redemption does not end with His death! 

First Fruits (Leviticus 23:9–14):

The Feast of First Fruits is the third festival in the spring. This holiday was divinely scheduled to fall the day after the Sabbath related to Passover. Jesus died on Friday, the beginning of the Sabbath, and was in the grave Friday, Saturday, and part of Sunday, then He rose in power as “the first fruits of those who are asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). 

Feast of Pentecost (Shavuot) (Leviticus 23:15–21):

Pentecost (from the Greek word meaning “fifty”) is next and is the day God chose for the Holy Spirit to fall upon the early band of Messianic Jewish future evangelists, who obediently waited for the promise of the Father. 

Many Jewish sages and scholars believe the first Pentecost reflects the giving of the law at Mount Sinai when the Israelites saw similar signs and wonders as God Himself gave new revelation. 

A GREATER ISAAC

Hashanah (Lev 23:23–25). At the heart of this first fall festival is the blowing of the shofar, the ram’s horn. In Jewish tradition, this looks back to Genesis chapter 22, known as the Akedah in Hebrew, which translates to “binding” or “tying” in English. 

This passage describes Abraham’s son Isaac, who was bound to the altar by his loving and obedient father whom God tested to see if he would kill his son with a knife as a sign of his faith. Thank God we know his hand was stayed, and God provided a ram caught by its horns in the thicket as a substitutionary sacrifice for Isaac. His potential sacrifice on Mount Moriah represented the first of multiple thousands of animal sacrifices eventually offered at this same location where King Solomon later built the Temple. 

Isaac is a type—a pattern—of the Messiah. He was innocent, beloved by his father, and almost sacrificed, though there was no reason for his untimely death. God called Abraham to climb the mountain and sacrifice his son as a test. The shofar is blown to remind Jewish people of Abraham’s obedience and Isaac’s willingness to be sacrificed. As Messianic Jews and Gentile Christians, we are certain this prophetic pattern was fulfilled in the death and ultimate resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. God, in His great love, sent His only perfect Son to atone for the sins of all humanity. 

Yet, we still wait for another blowing of the shofar one day, which will announce the coming of the Lord. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Cor 15:52). 

We pray for the salvation of Jewish people and all people! We especially pray many Jewish people today will recognize the greater Isaac, Jesus, who through His atoning sacrifice, sets us free from sin and death at the very moment we give our lives to Him and recognize He is our Savior and Lord! Our staff in the United States, Israel, and eighteen other countries around the globe proclaim this message to our beloved Jewish people. 

While we long for His return, we also want more time because we hope to see so many others come to faith. Nevertheless, our hearts still cry out, “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). May we hear the sound of the heavenly trumpet soon! 

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September 3, 2024 · 8:30 AM

Hope Is Rising in Tel Aviv

Shalom in His grace. I am delighted to write and bring you up to date on what God is doing through our 130-year-old mission to Jewish people.

Israel is still deeply in turmoil, which keeps me on my knees. Even if Israel agreed to some type of peace accord with Gaza, welcomed all the living hostages back, received the bodies of those who died in captivity, and secured the safe return of the tens of thousands of Israelis who evacuated their homes near the border, Israel would still have to face all the challenges of a future plan for Gaza! Even if Israel fully dismantles the threat of Hamas (and Hezbollah), how long would peace last? 

POSSIBLE PARTNERSHIPS FOR ISRAEL

There is also the question of potential governing bodies who would partner with Israel in controlling any future terrorism from Gaza. If an alliance of Arab countries with Israel had equal authority in the Gaza Strip, would this partnership endure? I realize these scenarios are hard to imagine, and we cannot predict the future. We can only follow the One who can!

Who could logically believe this alliance could work? The Palestinian Authority, who controls the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), has proven itself to be an undependable partner in peace. Judea and Samaria have been rife with terrorism, and it is possible more Israeli soldiers will die in this territory than in Gaza!

And what about Hezbollah’s frequent rocket attacks into northern Israel, destroying homes and causing raging wildfires? Can we really trust Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy, to remain within the demilitarized zone already established at the Litani River in 1985? Hezbollah moved into southern Lebanon after the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was forced out in 1982. What assurance does Israel have they will not use their Iranian-supplied arms to bring destruction to the north, including to cities like Haifa or in the Galilee? Many believe their rockets and missiles can even reach Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as well. You can see Israel’s options for partners is getting slimmer as time goes by.

SOME OF ISRAEL’S HISTORY WITH LEBANON

This is not the first time Israel thought a solution would work in southern Lebanon. An Israeli news source, Ynet News, describes the first Lebanon war:

The 1982 Lebanon War began on June 6, 1982, as what was supposed to be a short-term military operation—Operation Peace for Galilee. The operation was meant to destroy [Palestinian] militant infrastructure on the Lebanese-Israeli border, which had been used by terrorists to attack [the Israel Defense Forces] . . . as well as the Israeli communities abject to the border. In 1978 Israel launched Operation Litani, temporarily occupying southern Lebanon up to the Litani River. Once the IDF withdrew its forces later that year, an alliance was formed between the IDF and the South Lebanon Army (SLA), resulting in a buffer zone along Israel’s border.1

However, this plan for northern security did not hold as Ynet further describes,

January of 1985 saw the Israeli government decide to gradually withdraw from Lebanon, and by springtime most of the IDF’s troops—with the exception of those stationed in the south Lebanese buffer zone—were out of Lebanon. 

According to the Defense Ministry, Israel suffered 1,217 fatalities in the war itself, which lasted between 1982 and 1985. 

The rising number of fatalities among IDF soldier[s] stationed in the buffer zone led to a growing public outcry to pull all troops out of the area and in 1999, then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak led his government to vote for the complete withdrawal from Lebanon.

The last Israeli soldiers left Lebanon on May 24, 2000.2

Why would the lack of lasting peace be any different today? Israelis old enough to remember these events ask themselves this question. What has changed other than Iran and Hezbollah drawing closer and becoming more militarily capable?

Israel will do whatever it takes to survive. If viciously attacked, Israel will defend herself once again. Only this time, with the memory of what happened previously, Israel’s response will be fierce and decisive, leading to further and more massive destruction on all sides.

ISRAEL’S DILEMMA

As you can see, Israel is still in a very difficult situation. I do not want to leave you feeling hopeless but to help you get a sense of what our staff in Israel is going through as they reach Israelis at this critical time with the message of true hope through the Messiah. Not even one of our workers permanently left Israel during the war—though many of them could have gone elsewhere. I am so proud of their dedication and selfless service.

I could not be more pleased with the way our staff has served the Messiah and shown His love in dozens of ways, touching the lives of thousands of Israelis who feel so vulnerable and hopeless at times.

So, our staff continues to serve faithfully, and they can do this because you care and stand with them in their efforts!

A WARTIME MIRACLE: THE NEW NEW TEL AVIV CENTER

Now, let me tell you about what I can only call a wartime miracle. Our beautiful new ministry center in Tel Aviv is almost done. Can you believe it? We still need a little more than a half million dollars toward this $6.5-million-dollar project. 

But the true miracle is not the funding but rather overcoming the lack of labor over the last year as building projects in Israel so often depend upon Palestinian laborers—many of whom came in through Gaza each day. 

And yet God provided laborers from among Christian Arabs and Israelis to get us very close to the finish line on the building. We cannot tell you how thrilled we are to see God’s provision. It reminds me of the miracle of the loaves and fishes (Matthew 14:13–21). We did not bring much to the table by way of labor, but God maximized what we brought. 

THE FREEDOM TOWER, A SYMBOL OF HOPE

May I explain to you a little bit more how I feel about what the Lord has done? 

I lived through the 9/11 tragedy in New York City. My house in Brooklyn is downwind from the World Trade Center towers, meaning smoke was clearly visible from my home. I cannot tell you about the horror of those moments, when more than 2,977 people died. In September 2021, on the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, we honored the hundreds of law enforcement, fire department, military, and Christian workers who perished as they worked to save others. We also thanked those who rallied to the challenge to help rebuild New York City. 

I am sorry to say both Israel and the United States have a common enemy. Those who perpetrated the awful tragedy of 9/11 and those who are behind the war in Israel have a common ideology. This ideology of evil goes far beyond borders and resides across many nations. These adherents hate the West, hate Jewish people, hate Christians, hate the Lord, and hate Judeo-Christian values. But the Lord overcomes our enemies! 

I watched the new Freedom Tower being built for years. Today, it stands grand and proud as a symbol of our freedom and our enemies’ inability to destroy us. 

HELP US FINISH THE NEW TEL AVIV MESSIANIC CENTER

I want our new Messianic center in Tel Aviv to stand as a sign of God’s faithfulness to Israel, Jewish people, and in particular to the Messianic Jewish movement within Israel, which is growing by leaps and bounds over the last twenty-five years. Our Romans 11:5 remnant is increasing, and Chosen People Ministries—Your Mission to the Jewish People—is one of the largest ministries in Israel.

In Tel Aviv, we hope to plant a congregation, continue our outreach concerts, and implement other ministries. Our staff across Israel will continue to reach out to children, young adults, elderly Holocaust survivors, and many others.

Endnotes

1 “The Lebanon War (1982),” Ynet News, November 30, 2008, https://www.ynetnews.com/ articles/0,7340,L-3631005,00.html.

2 Ibid.

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